“OTHER” cache uses up 1/4 of the available space…
NEED ADVICE/TIPS FOR FOLLOWING PROBLEM
Pease read the WHOLE post first
“Other” cache uses up 1/4 of the available space. To be completely specific, it will ALWAYS(despite how much space I’VE used) use just short of 200MB-3GB of the available space.
I had to exchange my phone for a replacement a little over a year ago (the other one had the same problem) and within a month the cache was up to 60.x-63.xGB out of the available 64GB… same as before.
I was watching it every day or so and it was steadily increasing its bloat. Apple has “informed” me that this is stored to “make the phone load everything faster” but…😆🤨😡 IT DOES NOT MAKE THINGS LOAD FASTER. Quite the opposite in fact. I’m ALWAYS getting a popup saying that there’s not enough room on my phone to do X, Y, Z, and then some.
Apple went ON to “explain” that when the space is needed the phone will “free up” the space. I’d laugh if I didn’t want to cry & scream & beat Apple over the head with how well that process DOES NOT WORK.
When I backup any videos/pics/any other media in general, and then remove the original (which I have to do 1 at a time and wait days to weeks in between) the phone doesn’t actually clear up the space. It just sits there and eventually, days to weeks later… there’s zero consistency or pattern I can figure out, moves from my photo app (or whichever app it was originally in) cache to the system/other cache. And THAT cache NEVER decreases no matter WHAT I do. It just marches towards the full point and then the phone starts freaking out almost daily.
I check the cache stats multiple times a day, I backup to iCloud, I turn the phone off and then restart it. Sometimes it shows the cache has gone down from 0.1GB to 3GB on random, rare “lucky” moments… but it quickly starts crawling back up to a hair away from completely full.
I’ve even tried to download a large file to get it to free up space. This usually fails… while apparently adding partially downloaded “junk files” (however much it downloaded before I could cancel it) to my already full cache OR if I download the entire file and quickly delete it, I still end up with the same or less space available.
I would bet that the size of the OTHER cache would keep growing were I to have more space (which I’d love to but there are multiple obstacles, especially the ones that would make it too risky to exchange my current phone in immediately. My descriptions further on should be clear as to which make that a problem & why. And buying a new phone outright is not something I can afford) because my mom’s iphone (a different version entirely) does the SAME thing with her 16GB. She uses very little space and the OTHER cache takes up about half of the space available… exactly enough to keep it just a GB (give or take depending on the day or hour, but never more than 2.something GB) away from completely full. She had not turned off the setting that automatically removes the apps that are “least used” and almost ALL of her apps were “OFFLOADED”(aka DELETED since you have to download the NEWEST version, should the app even still exist, or have any functionality with your iPhone model). I found out about this only once it had removed her Facebook and a game that she has been playing for the past 4 (& worked just fine with the last version she had) years but CANNOT update anymore because it requires at least a certain firmware version that her phone no longer supports. Getting a new phone is apparently not something she is comfortable doing just yet. I won’t out her age but I think you get the point. She likes HER phone.
Again, the “OTHER” (on both our phones) never decreases for anything. Only bits and pieces of various cache from random apps. It hoards the “OTHER” cache and refuses to EVER let it go.
I would completely reformat the phone but (aside from the fact that it’ll just do it ALL again creating an endless cycle) I’m having enough trouble getting my gmail accounts to recognize that I’m using the same phone even when relogging in a few minutes after I last did (my recovery emails are constantly spammed with “warnings” that an unknown device has signed in… sometimes it thinks it’s a Mac, other times it shows just the generic “iphone” label for the device, while others it shows the name I currently use for my phone and many times the PREVIOUS name I used for the phone… oddly), all while NEVER having to change browsers, settings, or even the browser tab I was using when it thought I was using a different device. I am STILL trying to log into a few of my older accounts that I NEED to get into yet other accounts I’m locked out of.
And the one thing they keep telling everyone in the help forums(Google) is to never reformat your phone without going through an overly time consuming and confusing process of generating codes (that some people have had problems even getting to work) to authenticate EACH account individually after reformatting OR after getting a new phone without keeping the previous one to give permission to EACH account by logging into each one on the new device and then on the old device to click the “This is Me” button in the security section. Heaven forbid you change your WiFi provider AND phone number without having a detailed plan of authenticating yourself with your old WiFi and phone number (or knowing that new phone number before you get a new one so that you can switch & authenticate it in the settings with the old one) because many times, as I’m personally aware of unfortunately, it doesn’t like that recovery email address OR your password. It gets all suspicious and you’re trying every 7 days for the last 4 years to get back into the thing (because you HAVE to & that’s non-negotiable) while it’s still saying it cannot be sure that you are the owner of your own account. But in some cases the CURRENT owner of your old phone number could possibly access YOUR account easier than you can… ironically. Every single one has had different issues despite some having EXACTLY the same recovery variables. It’s not something I want to have to start from the beginning again with anytime soon.
So PLEASE don’t tell me to reformat because of all THAT☝️ mess that will happen.
btw, the only computers I have are old. One from 2008(last used in 2011) & the other was bought in 2012 or 2013, barely used(I have it for saving media to memory cards & backup drives), but I seriously doubt that it would even be able to handle whatever the latest version of iTunes is. So that is also not an option.
Pease read the WHOLE post first
_________________
I had to exchange my phone for a replacement a little over a year ago (the other one had the same problem) and within a month the cache was up to 60.x-63.xGB out of the available 64GB… same as before.
I was watching it every day or so and it was steadily increasing its bloat. Apple has “informed” me that this is stored to “make the phone load everything faster” but…😆🤨😡 IT DOES NOT MAKE THINGS LOAD FASTER. Quite the opposite in fact. I’m ALWAYS getting a popup saying that there’s not enough room on my phone to do X, Y, Z, and then some.
Apple went ON to “explain” that when the space is needed the phone will “free up” the space. I’d laugh if I didn’t want to cry & scream & beat Apple over the head with how well that process DOES NOT WORK.
When I backup any videos/pics/any other media in general, and then remove the original (which I have to do 1 at a time and wait days to weeks in between) the phone doesn’t actually clear up the space. It just sits there and eventually, days to weeks later… there’s zero consistency or pattern I can figure out, moves from my photo app (or whichever app it was originally in) cache to the system/other cache. And THAT cache NEVER decreases no matter WHAT I do. It just marches towards the full point and then the phone starts freaking out almost daily.
I check the cache stats multiple times a day, I backup to iCloud, I turn the phone off and then restart it. Sometimes it shows the cache has gone down from 0.1GB to 3GB on random, rare “lucky” moments… but it quickly starts crawling back up to a hair away from completely full.
I’ve even tried to download a large file to get it to free up space. This usually fails… while apparently adding partially downloaded “junk files” (however much it downloaded before I could cancel it) to my already full cache OR if I download the entire file and quickly delete it, I still end up with the same or less space available.
I would bet that the size of the OTHER cache would keep growing were I to have more space (which I’d love to but there are multiple obstacles, especially the ones that would make it too risky to exchange my current phone in immediately. My descriptions further on should be clear as to which make that a problem & why. And buying a new phone outright is not something I can afford) because my mom’s iphone (a different version entirely) does the SAME thing with her 16GB. She uses very little space and the OTHER cache takes up about half of the space available… exactly enough to keep it just a GB (give or take depending on the day or hour, but never more than 2.something GB) away from completely full. She had not turned off the setting that automatically removes the apps that are “least used” and almost ALL of her apps were “OFFLOADED”(aka DELETED since you have to download the NEWEST version, should the app even still exist, or have any functionality with your iPhone model). I found out about this only once it had removed her Facebook and a game that she has been playing for the past 4 (& worked just fine with the last version she had) years but CANNOT update anymore because it requires at least a certain firmware version that her phone no longer supports. Getting a new phone is apparently not something she is comfortable doing just yet. I won’t out her age but I think you get the point. She likes HER phone.
Again, the “OTHER” (on both our phones) never decreases for anything. Only bits and pieces of various cache from random apps. It hoards the “OTHER” cache and refuses to EVER let it go.
I would completely reformat the phone but (aside from the fact that it’ll just do it ALL again creating an endless cycle) I’m having enough trouble getting my gmail accounts to recognize that I’m using the same phone even when relogging in a few minutes after I last did (my recovery emails are constantly spammed with “warnings” that an unknown device has signed in… sometimes it thinks it’s a Mac, other times it shows just the generic “iphone” label for the device, while others it shows the name I currently use for my phone and many times the PREVIOUS name I used for the phone… oddly), all while NEVER having to change browsers, settings, or even the browser tab I was using when it thought I was using a different device. I am STILL trying to log into a few of my older accounts that I NEED to get into yet other accounts I’m locked out of.
And the one thing they keep telling everyone in the help forums(Google) is to never reformat your phone without going through an overly time consuming and confusing process of generating codes (that some people have had problems even getting to work) to authenticate EACH account individually after reformatting OR after getting a new phone without keeping the previous one to give permission to EACH account by logging into each one on the new device and then on the old device to click the “This is Me” button in the security section. Heaven forbid you change your WiFi provider AND phone number without having a detailed plan of authenticating yourself with your old WiFi and phone number (or knowing that new phone number before you get a new one so that you can switch & authenticate it in the settings with the old one) because many times, as I’m personally aware of unfortunately, it doesn’t like that recovery email address OR your password. It gets all suspicious and you’re trying every 7 days for the last 4 years to get back into the thing (because you HAVE to & that’s non-negotiable) while it’s still saying it cannot be sure that you are the owner of your own account. But in some cases the CURRENT owner of your old phone number could possibly access YOUR account easier than you can… ironically. Every single one has had different issues despite some having EXACTLY the same recovery variables. It’s not something I want to have to start from the beginning again with anytime soon.
So PLEASE don’t tell me to reformat because of all THAT☝️ mess that will happen.
btw, the only computers I have are old. One from 2008(last used in 2011) & the other was bought in 2012 or 2013, barely used(I have it for saving media to memory cards & backup drives), but I seriously doubt that it would even be able to handle whatever the latest version of iTunes is. So that is also not an option.
I need SOMETHING that will work. I am just baffled by WHY Apple doesn’t have any apps that ACTUALLY clear the cache. They’re all frustrating processes to remove pictures and videos which doesn’t free up ANYTHING. In fact, I removed 200-300 pics OUTRIGHT…(& a couple vids) no backing them up anywhere…one day: ZERO space freed. 2-3 days later I went through and mass deleted (& YES I ALWAYS GO AND CLEAR THE TRASH ON THE IPHONE PHOTO APP which is where I was deleting them from… the iphone photo app) OVER 1000 pics/screenshots from a few years ago, as well as at LEAST 10 videos (I’ve forgotten the exact number… it’s been months since). Guess how long it took to see that space freed? IT HAS NEVER BEEN FREED! I even went on to remove hundreds more pics/videos within the next few days. I occasionally try to back a video or 2 (and remove it from the phone to the extent it claims that I’ve removed anything from the phone) up every few weeks. Can’t do more because it’ll lock up operation of the phone for at least the rest of the day. I have to assume that after it cripples my ability to actually DO anything (almost daily) it’s freeing JUST enough cache from the apps I’ve deleted media from in order to work(barely) again.
You know, I have an iPhone because I like that it’s safer, etc, etc, AND because I am a musician and I thought I would be able to record songs/videos using various apps I like from the App Store. Currently I cannot even record video of a concert. The last time I tried(almost a month ago) the phone ended up crashing after recording 4 videos… 3 of which ended up COMPLETELY without the audio section of the file(so basically useless).
There has GOT to be a way that Apple or someone here has to fix this insanity. Because it is LITERALLY insane to not be able to use your phone due to what Apple claims to be a “feature” that “makes your phone faster”. I’d prefer that it be OPERATIONAL first. There’s NO way that any phone needs to store EVERY junk/deleted/etc file infinitely (or AT ALL) to “run faster”… especially considering it has the exact OPPOSITE effect. 🤷🏻♂️
You know, I have an iPhone because I like that it’s safer, etc, etc, AND because I am a musician and I thought I would be able to record songs/videos using various apps I like from the App Store. Currently I cannot even record video of a concert. The last time I tried(almost a month ago) the phone ended up crashing after recording 4 videos… 3 of which ended up COMPLETELY without the audio section of the file(so basically useless).
There has GOT to be a way that Apple or someone here has to fix this insanity. Because it is LITERALLY insane to not be able to use your phone due to what Apple claims to be a “feature” that “makes your phone faster”. I’d prefer that it be OPERATIONAL first. There’s NO way that any phone needs to store EVERY junk/deleted/etc file infinitely (or AT ALL) to “run faster”… especially considering it has the exact OPPOSITE effect. 🤷🏻♂️
Comments
In Settings > General > iPhone Storage, scrolling to the bottom and tapping 'other' shows a description: caches, logs and other resources currently in use by the system, the value will fluctuate according to system needs.
This will likely be similar to the caches that are on the Mac in /private/var/folders and library/cache. On the Mac they can reach a few GB in size. On the Mac you can sort of clean them manually but files that are in use by the system will be prevented from deletion. That's why there can't be an app to do it but there could be a way to do it on reboot like have a toggle in settings that will clean the caches on next reboot.
iOS devices should be designed to be fixable without using a separate computer because some people have them as their only device. This could be done with a storage accessory that allows backing up to it and restoring from it. Caches should be fixable without a wipe though.
For the time being, wiping and restoring is the best way to clear the 'other' category and this can be a problem with old Macs as they stop supporting iTunes compatibility. I'd expect the 2012/2013 model to support it through iTunes but it depends on which OS it has.